This invention concerns in general the association of moving messages with product merchandising, and in particular the integral incorporation of a moving message device with a merchandising display unit such as a cooler or similar item, for providing moving merchandising messages directed to products displayed by such merchandising unit.
A widespread and well known merchandising technique is to display an advertising sign in the vicinity of goods offered for sale. Ideally, though sometimes overlooked, an advertising sign should be attractively displayed with the referenced products in such fashion that the potential customer immediately recognizes the intended relationship without any confusion. Depending on the type of product and the way in which it must be or is customarily displayed for sale, there may be great difficulty in positioning an advertising sign in desired proximity with the related products. Such difficulty may be compounded if there is a need or desire to frequently alter the advertising.
Advertising, of course, which includes numerous psychological concerns related to various aspects of attracting and influencing potential customers. For example, the attractiveness of the advertising itself can be related to both the aesthetic appearance of the ad and the wording of the ad itself. Products themselves also carry name brand and promotional indicia entirely separate from merchandising indicia which may be provided by a retailer.
In some instances, it is desireable to provide merchandising indicia which identifies a brand name or the like for a product, and also to separately provide slogan or promotional merchandising messages directed to the product or products. For example, drink manufacturers often promote special incentives or programs intended to boost sales at retail outlets such as grocery stores or at food service establishments, or may establish promotional packages to be used directly in the store by the retailer. Frequently, a retailer may decide or be encouraged to build a display of the highlighted soft drink products, with special posters and the like associated with the particular promotional campaign mounted on the top of such display or otherwise associated therewith. Obviously, distribution and handling of such posters and the like is inconvenient for both the drink manufacturers and retailers.
Also, customers must often move or step over and around promotional materials in order to retrieve the desired products. As such materials become dislocated by customer activity or usage wear and tear on the often paper or cardboard materials, the attractiveness of the advertising (and hence the effectiveness thereof) can become greatly diminished.
The general marketing problems discussed above are even compounded concerning certain products such as refrigerated products, where there are specific limitations on the manner in which the products may be displayed. Refrigerated cases are often relatively unattractive due to the necessity of performing their practical functions. Also, they can be rather large, and disposed in groups with no space inbetween, which can hinder the association of any type of merchandising indicia with products stored in the refrigerated cases. Furthermore, even greater inconvenience may be involved with temporary, changing special promotions indicia.
Placing a sign on top of a tall vertically-oriented cooler is generally more problematic than associating a sign with a lower, horizontally-oriented cooler. For example, using a fixed sign with printed subject matter such as brand name indicia thereon in combination with a horizontal merchandising cooler is known, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,267 and U.S. design patent 268,071, both issued to James, et al. While such structure and design provide effective methods of identifying brand names and the like of particular products such as soft drinks routinely stored in a particular orientation in a refrigerated cooler, such patents are not particularly adapted for also providing changing information such as promotional campaigns, or special slogans regarding such products.
One device for providing readily changeable merchandising information is a moving message electronic display. Such display devices are programmable to permit selection of a message which then may be scrolled across the display thereof. A very neat appearance is maintained, and a lengthy message (for example, up to 1926 characters) can be provided in a greatly compressed width (for example, 15 characters). Furthermore, such units are available as self-contained devices which may be placed on flat surfaces such as tables or shelves, or variously mounted or even hung from a ceiling. Examples of such type of moving message electronic display devices are Models 1150T and 1151 electronic display devices distributed by Dynasty Classics of 116 South Catalina Avenue, Redondo Beach, Calif., 90277.
In general, such stand-alone electronic devices may be associated with goods to be sold in somewhat similar fashion as signs, posters or ceiling-hanging mobiles have been used heretofore. Thus, use of an electronic message display can involve the same drawbacks of placement and support which occur whenever one attempts to associate a sign or poster with a refrigerated sales case, display stack, or the like.
Furthermore, such electronic display has the additional disadvantage of requiring electric power. Ordinarily, a retailer would wish to have electric wires concealed for safety and potential lawsuit purposes. For at least partly such reason, even cardboard-type displays which having a moving part (such as a revolving element) are often battery operated. Of course, batteries for such promotional items also present the need for running long, experience and unsightly extension cords around the retailer's store.